GREW EXPECTING HARD GAME

Assistant Boss Mark Grew has warned that we can expect Saturday’s home game against AFC Wimbledon to be a tricky fixture against a side who will probably come here to frustrate.

Having failed to get a win in their last five league games, with an FA Cup defeat to, of all clubs, MK Dons thrown in, Wimbledon will come to Vale Park in a determined mood as the Christmas fixtures kick in.

Grew said: “I always say, when you play teams down the bottom, it’s never easy. People are expecting us to turn Wimbledon over, but I know they won’t play the same way they played last Saturday.

“They will come here looking for a point and if they leave Vale Park with a point on Saturday they will be more than happy.

“We have got to go in there and not get frustrated. If we can score early it makes a massive difference here because they then have to come out.

“But Wimbledon are a wounded animal, and a wounded animal always fights back and that’s what they will be thinking about on Saturday.”

Vale’s scouting system was down to it’s bare bones whilst the club was in administration, but has now been ‘beefed up’ and Vale are being more prepared for their opponents.

Grew continued: “Our Head Scout, George Foster, went to watch them on Saturday and we have got full match reports on their last two or three games so we are up to date with their squad.

“They have got a lot of youngsters in there and when you play against youngsters they will have plenty of enthusiasm and they want to do well for their club.

“They have players who might be on the last year of their contacts and we know they will fight as hard as they possibly can.”